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catohphm · 1 year

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Skate to the Heart: A HPHM Winter Romance Story

Hello everyone! I originally wrote this MC x Penny fic for @ariparri's #winterdays event on the HPHM Amino. I had a lot of joy writing it and I really hope you all have as much reading it! 😊

Introduction

I mainly ship my HPHM OC with Penny Haywood. I have Catenny and Reesewood as nicknames for them. As this story will be about their romance, here is some background on both of them:

Penny was an independent young woman with a strong will. While she was popular and no stranger to gossip, she had grown to not let anyone’s personal drama get to her. She wasn’t afraid to stand up for herself and be protective of her friends and family. While her protectiveness and empathy for others could make her emotional and lose her train of thought, she always persisted through tough times at Hogwarts. Penny was also kind, compassionate, and thoughtful. She gave off warm and reassuring vibes to others, and valued loyalty, respect and honesty in relationships, as well as bravery.

Cato was quiet, reserved and usually stayed outside of events or dramas that didn’t directly concern him. He only got involved with the Cursed Vaults out of his loyalty and concern to keep Hogwarts and his friends safe. To those he opened up to, one could recognize that by heart he was passionate, altruistic, affectionate, smart and logical.

Both Cato and Penny were similar yet different people. Yet it was both of their similarities that helped them get along and compliment each other. She was more extroverted while he was an introvert with some extroverted tendencies. They shared many traits and reciprocated their feelings for each at many points through time. In their romance, they were affectionate with each other and greatly valued the time they had for themselves. It was important to both Cato and Penny that they played both equal 50/50 parts in their relationship. If they were in trouble, they would work as a team to overcome their obstacles.

The Story

Mighty winds carried vast clouds of snow over the village of Hogsmeade as the 1990 Christmas holidays approached. This was the last holiday break that Cato Reese would have. He was a seventh year student with his future plans of becoming an auror already in place. His main priorities were his friends and schoolwork. The Cursed Vaults and Rakepick were now behind him, and R didn’t concern him as much anymore. They were still active, but they had been exposed and the Ministry led by Mad-Eye Moody was investigating them. Cato felt that the reins were better off in the aurors’ hands now the vaults no longer threatened Hogwarts. He wanted a seventh year that was normal and calm.

For this final holiday break, he elected to stay at Hogwarts with his friends and Penny. They were glad to be able to once again enjoy Christmas, safe from outside interlopers. Penny was also staying so that she could celebrate it with Cato. Both of them loved their own families, but they were becoming adults. They looked at the winds of change as an opportunity to start building a life they both could cherish together.

Penny had a surprise for her beloved. The Black Lake was frozen over and it was big. Her gift to Cato were implements that would be perfect for conquering the ice. It was important to her that she made her moments with Cato memories that they could always look back on with sweet reverence and fondness. In November, her parents bought the gifts for her and Cato. Her plan was to present them shortly after school let out for the season.

Throughout the final classes before break, she couldn’t wait to finally share the surprise with Cato. A day or two into it, she ran to him while in the corridor. “Cato! Now that we’re on break, I can finally show you something I got for us!” He replied “Awesome, what is it? She giggled and said “No time, Cato! Follow me, cute one! Penny took his hand and led him out of the greenhouse.

They ran briskly back into the castle, toward the underground kitchens where the Hufflepuff common room was. When they arrived, she told Cato “Just a couple seconds, I got to get them from my dorm.” Penny did the sequence to enter the common room. She winked and gave him a wave and a smile.

His mind had no clue what her surprise could be. However they had known each other all throughout their Hogwarts education. They trusted each other dearly and had zero reasons not to. He patiently awaited her to emerge from the Hufflepuff common room, jittering a bit from the intrigue and excitement. Then he heard rapid footsteps and Penny darted out of the common room, holding two pairs of ice skates in her hands. She energetically told him “Guess what?” Cato responded “Ice skates?” Penny went “Aha! Well reasoned, Cato! I bought these for the both of us. They’re in our house colors. Mine are yellow, and yours are blue! I couldn’t think of anything better!” He was mesmerized.

"Wow, Penny, this is…” He paused for two seconds. “This is wholesome! I couldn’t think of any better words either. Thank you so much!” Penny warmly smiled “You’re absolutely welcome! Merry Christmas, Cato!" He replied "Merry Christmas to you too, Penny!" She grinned and laughed "We can never be too old to enjoy ice skating!” She tossed him the blue skates. “C’mon, off to the lake!” The two were off and running together to the frozen lake at once.

When Cato and Penny reached the shores of the frozen Black Lake, they beheld a spectacle. It was like a winter wonderland come true. The highland was healthily covered in pure white snow. Clouds of the same kind were scattered in the sky, but the blue held equal soaring as snowflakes danced and twirled in the wind. The sun was at full strength and its rays pierced through the clouds. An eager Penny shouted “Wait for it!” She dashed onto the ice, which was clear and bright as a mountain lake reflecting the tallest peak. She stopped and spinned in the middle, facing Cato. Penny hollered out “It’s all good now, Cato!” He returned the call “On my way!” Donning his blue ice skates, he spirited across the frozen plane towards her. Penny held her arms out as he approached her, doing the same. They joined together in an embrace, holding each other for support on the ice.

Face-to-face, Cato and Penny could only see each other in their eyes. He spoke up “Everything points to only one thing. This is our moment, Penny? She replied affectionately while blushing “Aww, Cato! You’re very smart! Only us, okay?” He nervously smiled and nodded. They then shared a kiss. Once both had pulled out, Cato and Penny were looking at each other with red cheeks, smiling at each other with tears in their eyes. “It’s getting too cold for us out here, Cato. Why don’t we go back inside the castle and warm up with some cocoa?” Penny asked. “Aww why not, I’d love that!” Cato replied. She chuckled “We’re both gonna need it now! Let’s get inside and get warm, cute one!” Hands held together, Cato and Penny skated back to the shores and returned to the castle for hot cocoa.

#hphm #hogwarts mystery #hphm mc #harry potter hogwarts mystery #hogwarts mystery mc #cato reese #penny haywood #hphm penny #hphm penny haywood #mc x penny #penny x mc #cato x penny #penny x cato

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fukae-flwr · 1 month

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Stained Hearts & Dark Desires:

Chapter 3 Gibes and Jests

Summary: Ominis works through his emotions over Edith. He can't forgive her yet but can't bring himself to hate her. It's hard to work through

Word count: 5.3k

Warnings: angst, conflicted feelings,

Rating: MATURE 18+!!! (NO MINORS)

Chapter: 4

“Was there anything else Penny can get you, Mr.Gaunt?” Penny's cheery voice questioned. Ominis had just finished examining the room he was to call home for now. His wand could make out enough to tell this place was much bigger than he had been expecting. It was just a lovely and cozy home. The dark wood structures matched with elegant patterns gave the room a pleasant feeling. He did notice though how empty it felt. This room was physically filled with everything necessary for a guest room, yet lacked any life or presence. This room wasn’t used often.

“That’ll be all, Penny. Thank you.” Ominis shook his head. He hadn’t expected Edith to have an elf, much less be so relaxed by her company. He heard the way her voice softened drastically once Penny arrived. Even the soft breath she had released while talking to Penny was a sure sign to him of how comfortable she felt in Penny’s presence. Almost a complete contrast to how she interacted with him or Sebastian. A small part of him envied the elf, a small enough part that he could ignore.

“Well then, Penny wishes you a goodnight, Mr.Gaunt.” The elf concluded as she began to close the door.

“Goodnight to you too, Penny.” Ominis smiled softly. With the door closed, Ominis sat in his current bed and let the events of the day start to wash over him.

They found her. They actually found her. She was alive and breathing. He felt…relieved yet conflicted. She had been lying to everyone except Anne from the looks of things. She was the masked wizard they hunted for so long partially because they were fooled to believe the masked wizard had killed her. That wasn’t even including the emotions that began to rise as a result of everything that happened back in their 7th year. The swirling of powerful emotions was overwhelming. He felt happy she was alive, angry for everything she had done, betrayed for the disappearance, and among so many others. At this rate, he was going to implode in on himself.

Thankfully there was a welcomed distraction from his thoughts at his door. Walking over to the door, he found his partner standing before him. His own personal breath of relief, most of the time.

“Hey. Did you get everything you need?” Sebastian asked, stepping into the room immediately. Ominis just chuckled to himself as he just waltzed right in.

“Hello, Sebastian. Yes, please come in.”

“Great thanks.”

Ominis closed the door behind him and moved further into the room. It wasn’t a very large room, but these townhomes rarely had very spacious rooms. A single bed with a metal frame stood against the wall to the left side of the room. Right across was the wooden dresser a good distance away from the small fireplace with a fireguard. It was a cozy small room, perfect for guests.

Sebastian sat on the edge of his bed, deep in thought. Ominis could practically hear his raging mind working double time.

“I did have Penny retrieve a few of my things. Though, I didn’t want to overwork the elf, so we will need to stop by the house tomorrow.” Sebastian barely acknowledged that Ominis had said anything.

“I dread ever asking, but care to share your thoughts with me?” Ominis tried to make light of the tense atmosphere but went over Sebastian’s head.

“I hate her.”

“Do you?”

“...Yes.”

“Well, that is a perfectly reasonable response, given everything.” Ominis moved to sit next to him. He wasn’t super big on being physical with anyone on normal occasions, but he tried in his own ways with Sebastian. Sitting close enough for his shoulders and legs to come in contact with Sebastian’s was enough for now. It was what he could offer right now, and Sebastian knew that. From years of being together, Sebastian was familiar with Ominis’s small gestures of warmth.

“What about you, Ominis?”

“Do I hate her?”

“Yes.”

Ominis sat for a moment to think. Did he hate her? He was undoubtedly very angry with her, and his trust was broken for sure, but hate? He hated his family but had never really hated anyone before, aside from Hobhouse. He compared his emotions towards his family to Edith, and it was falling short.

“No. I don’t hate her.” Ominis sighed. If how he felt towards his family was directed at Edith, it lost its ire. He held no hate for her, but he was hurt by her. It was that pain she caused that made him mad and upset with her but not loathe her. He doubted he could hate her, even after everything. It was similar to how he felt about Sebastian all those years ago, after Solomon. He couldn't bring himself to hate Sebastian but couldn’t forgive him at that time either.

“Really?! After everything she’s done?” Sebastian questioned in disbelief.

“As if you have any room to speak. People do terrible things sometimes.” Ominis heard Sebastian slump in on himself.

“You don’t have to forgive her. I certainly haven’t. But we do need to work with her to find Anne.” Ominis comforted his partner. The heavy sigh Sebastian allowed to escape confirmed to Ominis how much his words helped him.

“You’re right.”

“Obviously.”

“You’re modesty is very becoming.”

“Please, modesty is for those unaware of their worth. I’m fully aware of my worth.” Ominis tsked confidently as he rose from the bed. It was uplifting to finally hear Sebastian laugh today. With how tense everything was currently, he was glad he could still get a chuckle from him.

“Perhaps along the way we can get the answers we’ve been looking for,” Ominis mentioned softly as he began to remove his coat, and vest for the night.

Sebastian didn’t respond to that, only joining him in getting comfortable as well.

~ * ~

Ominis learned two things in the night. One, the walls of this townhome were unbelievably thin. Ominis had amazing hearing, and if the walls had been thicker, things wouldn’t have sounded as clear as they did last night. Most times he could hear through walls to a degree. Often coming off much more muffled and disoriented but could still make out little things. These walls hardly did any of that. It was like he was present in the other room. Which led to the second thing he learned that night. Edith didn’t sleep.

She had her bath earlier in the evening, something abundantly clear thanks to the sounds of water he heard. He did his best to block out the sounds, feeling it was inappropriate of him to hear the water of her bath splashing around. He was a gentleman after all, and despite her transgressions, she was still an attractive young woman. After her bath, she paced around her room, constantly. He couldn’t quite make out what she was saying with how quietly she spoke but she was muttering a lot. Then at some point, she decided to rush upstairs to the third floor and move around in the room above. She was light-footed, but not enough to be silent. All night she was up there moving about, doing who knew what.

Ominis wasn’t sure what room she was in or what it was for. The two of them hadn’t been given a tour of the house yet. Penny assured them that Edith would do it today. They were only taken to their temporary rooms, though Sebastian quickly abandoned his room for Ominis’s. Not something he was complaining about, but just noted how quickly that idea went out the window.

After forcing himself to ignore her movements upstairs, Ominis could fall asleep, though not into a deep slumber. He was always acutely aware of where she was upstairs. She often moved between the two rooms upstairs, but nothing else that was noticeable. Now with the sun having risen, the light poking through the lace curtains, Ominis stretched out in bed. Sebastian started to stir awake from his movements, yawning and stretching as well.

“Did she ever go back to her room?” Sebastian slurred, half awake. Ominis wasn’t surprised he heard her as well. It wasn’t like she was trying to hide her footsteps. Sebastian may have slept better than Ominis but he wasn’t a deep sleeper when in unfamiliar places such as Edith’s home.

“I don’t think so.”

“Well, let's get up and get that tour then?” Sebastian threw the covers off and rose from the bed. Ominis couldn’t agree more. The sooner they could explore the house, the closer they’d be to finding possible answers. After getting dressed, both of the men walked down the stairs and to the kitchen. Using his wand, Ominis could get a vague image of the kitchen area.

It was a decently sized kitchen with a dark-colored metal stove. It was small enough for his wand to capture a good sense of everything around without him having to move much. Yet it was spacious enough to not give the sense it was crowded. The kitchen had a wooden island with all the kitchen items needed for prepping meals. Ominis could even make out what appeared to be an elf-sized step stool pushed up against the island. On said step stool, they found Penny, cleaning up the kitchen and using magic to prepare breakfast. She practically hummed in the kitchen with contentment. It was nice to know she was being treated kindly for her to be this happy with her life.

“Oh Good morning, gentlemen!” Penny greeted warmly. Ominis could hear the smile in her voice, “Penny is preparing breakfast now. Should be ready any moment, if you’d like to wait in the dining room.” She hopped off the step stool to throw whatever food she was prepping into the pan on the stove.

“Do you need any help?” Sebastian offered. Ominis knew Sebastian enjoyed cooking up meals. At their house, Sebastian was the chef between the two of them and his meals were quite delicious.

“Oh! Penny appreciates the offer! Thank you, Mr.Sallow!”

“Sebastian is fine.”

“Thank you, Mr.Sebastian!” Penny began to instruct Sebastian on what to do, while she prepared a separate tray.

“Is that for Edith?” Ominis pondered, wondering where she was. Had she still been in that room? He didn’t hear her ever leave nor come down from the third floor.

“Oh yes! Miss Edith often forgets meals, especially when she is busy with her research. So it’s Penny’s job to make sure Miss Edith doesn’t fall sick!�� Penny spoke so casually as she snapped her fingers. Ominis could hear as the tray began to hover off the counter. He furrowed his brows at that. Research? What kind of research was she conducting so vehemently for her to continually neglect meals?

“What does she research?” Sebastian asked so casually, not missing a beat.

“Miss Edith explained it to Penny once. It was very complicated, but Penny remembers it involved a spell and…” Penny inhaled suddenly, stopping mid-sentence. Ominis turned, wondering if a silencing charm had been cast. He hadn’t heard any spell being performed but the elf had suddenly stopped and he wasn’t sure why.

“A..Are you holding your breath?” Sebastian inquired. Was she holding her breath? Ominis moved closer to see if his wand could pick up her image. The image was unique, to say the least, and much more vague than the nonliving things it depicted. His wand was much more suited for depicting structures and the environment around him rather than other people. The image he was able to barely see was a tiny elf holding both her hands to her mouth wide-eyed.

“Are…are you alright?”

“Oh yes! Penny just says things that shouldn’t be repeated. Miss Edith never gets angry but Penny knows she should practice learning when to stop talking!” Penny finally released her breath. So talking about Edith’s research was something that was not meant for others’ ears. Interesting.

“Well, Penny must bring Miss Edith’s breakfast now!” Penny quickly exited the kitchen bringing a tray. Ominis could barely call what was on it, breakfast. A pot of coffee with creamer and sugar and some toast. Not exactly a filling meal. He doubted it was something the elf had decided upon. Penny seemed like she would’ve been the one to overachieve what Edith wanted.

“So research on magic, for a spell…” Sebastian pondered aloud as he stirred whatever was in the pan.

“Any ideas?”

“Well, it's not like it's unheard of, for those who work in the ministry, that is. I even considered going to a similar field once this business with being an aurora is over.” Sebastian tapped the wooden spoon on the pan before moving the pan onto the counter. It was a discussion they had before. What they planned to do once they finished being auroras. Sebastian was leaning more toward studying magic scriptures, a job in the ministry involving his favorite thing, reading. Ominis, on the other hand, was more geared towards something a little less life-threatening than their current job as well. Perhaps he’d become a professor at Hogwarts; he wasn’t entirely sure what he wanted to do as of yet, but being aurora was not a lifetime thing. There had been only one reason they ever became auroras in the first place, and she was currently upstairs where they could easily find her.

“Dark wizards studying magic is rarely a good thing,” Ominis pointed out. For most dark wizards it was rarely a good thing, Ominis wasn’t quite sure about Edith yet. He just stood about the kitchen, thinking about what Edith could be working on as soft footsteps gave away the elf’s return. Sebastian had helped himself to the eggs and potatoes Penny had started. He even made a plate for Ominis as well.

“Miss Edith informed Penny that she would be down momentarily to give you the tour of the house.” Penny reported to them, “Penny also has another pot of coffee or tea if you’d like. Penny wasn’t sure which the gentlemen wanted so Penny made both!” Penny shuffled over to the stove, snapping her fingers to get the smaller pots to follow her. She moved over towards the dining room attached to the kitchen.

The dining room was just as roomy if not a tad smaller than the kitchen. In the center was her wooden round table, neatly set for guest use. The pots floated over to the table, and Sebastian placed the plates down in front of the seats. Ominis sat next to Sebastian as they ate their food.

“Does Edith get the Daily Prophet sent here?” Ominis questioned while he ate the eggs and potatoes graciously prepared for him by Sebastian and Penny.

“Oh, she does! Edith typically takes it up to the study. Penny remembers Miss Edith always enjoyed reading about the Ministry’s Duo. She even asks if Penny saw anything about them in the paper when Penny fetches it for her.”

Ominis couldn't help his smirk forming over the rim of his cup and heard the soft chuckle from Sebastian. How very interesting. Ominis perked a little as he heard the oh-so-subtle sound of footsteps coming down the stairs.

“Did she ever comment on the Ministry’s Duo?” Sebastian inquired curiously.

“Only how amusing it would be to watch the fools chase after the Masked Wizard,” Edith answered pointedly before the elf could say anything. Finally, she had come down from her hiding hole. Ominis could hear her move out from behind him, over to the opposite side of the table. The furthest spot from the both of them.

“And yet those very same fools caught you in the end. How amusing,” Sebastian taunted as he sat back in his chair.

“Tch. Luck is all it is.”

“Perhaps I should try my hand at the lottery then.” Ominis thought out loud.

“If you two are done, I’ll show you around the house now. I have things needing to be done today.” Edith crossed her arms impatiently. Ominis slowly placed his cup down and folded his hands in his lap, turning in her direction.

“What lovely errands do you have planned for us today, Ms.Winterald? I, for one, would like to stop by my house to grab a few more of my belongings.” Ominis remarked casually. Anything they did now involved each other, or at least one of them being with Edith. They might as well get comfortable with it starting now.

“Well since stopping by your house is not urgent, that’ll be something we do last.”

“You might as well just tell us what you’re doing today. We’ll find out eventually.” Sebastian tried to coerce Edith into telling them right now. Didn’t seem like it was working with how she immediately responded, feigning kindness with an overly sweet voice.

“Well, I guess you’ll just find out eventually.” And with that turned on her heels. Seemed like breakfast was forcefully brought to an end. Ominis just sighed as he picked up his wand and followed behind. Sebastian grumbled as he joined.

“You already saw the kitchen and dining room. The parlor is off to the side here.” She marched off toward the parlor. It was to the side of the stairs, diagonal to the kitchen. It was an average terrace living room. A darkened fireplace at the center of the furthest wall, and furniture placed around the coffee table that centered the room. A small alcove against the window, that allowed for natural light to filter into the room. A couple of shelves with books on them. Nothing much. Ominis noticed the only thing that seemed used was a fraying blanket loosely hanging off the loveseat closest to the fireplace.

“And then of course the bedrooms on the first level,” Edith continued her guided tour up the stairs. She showed them their bathroom, the smallest room they had seen in this house.

“Merlin’s beard, how does anyone fit in here?” Sebastian gawked. He was much more familiar with the hamlets near Hogwarts. They could afford to have much more space out there than homes in the cities. Though Ominis recalled never having a bathroom quite this small in his life. If he was at Gaunt’s Manor, the restrooms were about three times as big due to their wealth. It was just barely large enough for the white clawfoot tub at the very end, the toilet right next to it, and then the wooden vanity with the hand bowl on top of it next to the door.

“Considering I’m one person, easily.” Edith retorted. Closing the door, she began to tread up the stairs once more.

“Not gonna show off your room?” Sebastian quipped as they passed by her bed chambers she didn’t use last night.

“My my my. Who knew you’d grow to be quite the debauchee, Sebastian?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Sebastian hissed back, clearly irritated by her insinuation. Ominis selectively chose to keep how truthful her statement was, to a degree. Their private affairs weren’t any of her business for now.

“Hmm no thanks. My bed chambers are for an invited company only. And you're not invited.”

“Ah, so nightcaps,” Sebastian commented. Ominis couldn’t fight the grin on his face as he heard her heart lurch, and a sound similar to choking on air escaped her. She even nearly tripped over one step. Thankfully, his assistance to catch her was not needed, but he was ready nonetheless.

“That is none of your business!”

“Right.”

Edith just stomped up the rest of the stairs more feverishly. Moving his wand about, there wasn’t much to the third floor, just the two main rooms along the wall on the opposite side of the stairtop. She held open the door closest to the small window at the far end of the hallway, completely ignoring the first door.

“And finally this is the study. Everything pertaining to Anne is here.” Edith gestured towards the room. Upon entry, Ominis felt himself cringe at how utterly chaotic it was. The small room was filled with books and loose pieces of paper scattered about. It was spacious for how occupied it was currently with three grown adults standing amidst a librarian’s hell.

Ominis noticed quite a few clippings from the daily prophet regarding dark wizard activities, letters with Anne’s signature favorite wax seal, and other letters from others he didn’t immediately recognize. As the images of the room appeared in his mind, he slowly moved about, trying to avoid stepping on anything. It was proving to be almost as difficult as Sebastian’s study back home, or any room he claimed.

“And you thought I was messy, Ominis.” Sebastian broke the silence as he knelt on the ground behind him. He picked up a few letters closest to him, beginning to examine them. Ominis couldn’t tell what it was but knew they’d have plenty of time to examine every single piece of information offered to them.

“I stand by that statement. Edith must’ve picked up your nasty habits from years back.” He mused as he made his way to the desk covered in news clippings from the Daily Prophet. Holding his wand out front, he got a better image depicting how each clipping involved either him, Sebastian, or both of them. On the wall behind the desk were more clippings, not of just them, but other dark wizards as well. There was enough about the Ministry’s golden duo though to catch his attention. Penny’s words replayed in his mind. So the elf was speaking the truth, not that he ever doubted her.

“I like to think..”

“I seriously doubt that.” Ominis quipped absentmindedly.

“...of it as chaotically organized.” Sebastian finished pointedly.

“Call it whatever you'd like, it's still a mess.”

Ominis heard Edith step away to pick up a letter from the floor, attempting to hide her amusement. She thought she let out a small breathy chuckle quiet enough that they wouldn’t hear. She was wrong. It had been so long since the last time he heard her laugh. An annoyingly loud part of him wanted to hear it again, maybe get close enough to get a glimpse of that smile he had missed. He fought that part of him, reminding himself of all she had done. He couldn’t forgive her nor allow his guard to fall completely around her.

“You two haven’t changed,” Edith cleared her throat, attempting to regain her composure, “Still fighting like an old married couple per usual.” She couldn’t have been further from the truth. At this point, they were practically a married couple, without all the paperwork and so forth. They lived together, worked together, and spent almost every waking moment together. He was very happy with his life, but it wasn’t perfect. He knew what it was missing but refused to acknowledge it right now.

“I'm beginning to see a pattern with these over here. A fan, I take it?” Ominis already knew that answer thanks to Penny. Yet he found himself teasing her gently about it. He turned to her direction as the telltale sound of arms crossing flooded his ears.

“Hilarious. As I said before, I find it entertaining to watch the fools who think they could catch the Masked Wizard run around like a pack of frightened diricawls.” She spoke with a grin and condescension, clearly returning his tease. Her steps moved towards him, closer and closer, till he could feel her presence brush past him. A sensual chill ran down his spine. The wooden desk creaked as she leaned up against it to the right of him. She was very close yet still far enough to not be anywhere near brushing her arms against his.

His wand allowed him to see the folded paper she picked up and held towards him. It was a more recent print of the Daily Prophet with a bold headline reading “Ministry’s Deadly Duo”. Ominis wasn’t too much of a fan of their alleged fame in the paper. It seemed every success of theirs, as well as the occasional failures, were published for all of the wizarding world.

“The papers just can’t seem to get enough of you two. Makes staying two steps ahead quite easy.” She made no effort to hide her supercilious tone as she softly waved the paper, emphasizing her point. Another reason to hate their names in the paper as often as they were.

“And yet we still managed to catch you, didn’t we?” Sebastian derided as he rose from the ground and stalked over to Edith. Ominis stood by, delighted as the scene unfolded before him. Something about the slight back and forth between them was entertaining, despite everything else.

He watched as the paper was moved over to where the assumed Sebastian figure stood, preventing him from getting any closer to Edith. She was still very much caged between him, and the desk yet she used the paper to keep him at bay. He recalled the way she practically lept away from him last night at the base of the stairs. He heard how her heart pounded and startled so easily. Was it the physical proximity?

“Please. If my attention hadn’t been so divided due to Anne’s disappearance, you would’ve never caught me off guard. Even back then, you couldn’t beat me in a duel in the Defense Against the Dark Arts class.” She feigned confidence but her voice had a slight tremor that gave away her nervousness. It piqued Ominis’s interest in how nervous she was getting.

“Sebastian, perhaps, but I recall you having quite a difficult time against me, Edith,” Ominis reminded as he stepped closer to tower over her. He intentionally spoke with a softer voice on the off chance it might lead to something interesting. And his efforts were not in vain. He heard how rapidly her heart began to pound as he moved closer. His lowered voice just topped it all off.

“R..right…Well, I’ve improved my skills since Hogwarts.” Edith stammered momentarily as she quickly freed herself from the trapped corner she found herself in. She had moved over towards the door, putting distance between them. As much as he enjoyed how nervous she got around them, it probably was for the best. There was still much to discuss and heal from.

“As have I” Sebastian countered, taking the very same spot she had against the desk, by Ominis’s side.

“We shall see.” The way she spoke wasn’t malicious or coy. It was like she was far away, emotionally and mentally. As if she didn’t intend to find out how much they had grown since Hogwarts, similar to how she spoke that day back in their seventh year. She was far more melancholy then; now she was just devoided of emotions.

“I noticed you two seem to be sharing a room. Is something the matter with your room, Sebastian?” Edith swiftly changed the subject, what little jests they had gotten from her, were gone.

“Not particularly. Ominis and I share a room. It is of no use to me.” Sebastian informed so casually. As if two men sharing a room was a common occurrence. Ominis had no shame in his love for Sebastian, even still he felt his face flush ever so slightly with Sebastrian’s boldness.

“...I guess I can conjure another bed then?” Edith bemused. A reasonable reaction to what was just stated, though it didn’t stop Ominis’s cheeks from redding at Sebastian's immediate response.

“By all means but chances are I’ll just end up in bed with Ominis.”

“Sebastian! For Merlin’s sake do you have no decency?!” Ominis sighed, dropping the papers he had to cover his burning face. He loved the moron, he did, but he was doomed to be the death of him.

Edith remained quiet for a long time. It began to make his skin itch. Was she one of those people unaccepting of a man loving another man? He’d hate for this to be where their so-called friendship officially ends.

“You two are…courting?” Edith questioned. Ominis couldn’t quite make out the tone of her voice. It wasn’t disgusted as he feared it would be, but wasn’t exactly all accepting either. He couldn’t recognize exactly what she was feeling from her inquiry.

“Yea. Problem?” Sebastian had lost all the warmth in his voice and was back to his sharp tone. He was always quick to the defense when it came to the two of them. Ominis appreciated it most of the time, but he doubted this was one of those times when it was necessary. The Edith he remembered never cared about such things. He hoped that remained true.

“No. Just surprised is all.” Edith stated. She still sounded surprised by the revelation she just received, which was better than immediate ignorance and disgust. From what he could recall, Edith didn’t judge one by who they loved. She was a very accepting person. It was refreshing to know that remained true. Though her silence was off-putting once more. Clearing she was lost in her mind.

“I’m glad to see you two worked out your issues in my absence. I feared you’d stopped talking to each other just like 6th year all over again,” Edith sighed. Ominis remained silent. It was true without her, he probably wouldn’t have talked to Sebastian as quickly as he did. Her hand was forced for a while. She had been doing the best she could to divide what little free time she had between the two of them, practically running back and forth. She always made sure to mention how Sebastian was doing, despite him never asking. When word got out that Anne was coming back to Hogwarts, she started spending more time with Sebastian. She began to mention him more often to Ominis. He wanted to forgive him and knew eventually he would. The more he heard of him from Edith, the more he felt he needed to talk to Sebastian. Not completely forgive, but allow him to be present in his life once more.

Her disappearance in their seventh year, however, did almost break them. As ridiculous as it was, part of Ominis thought perhaps something had happened with Sebastian that had finally driven her away. Something he might’ve said or done leaving her to run away just as the school year was almost over. He blamed Sebastian for a short while, and they fought.

“Well, he stayed around so we could work through it. Didn’t take off.” Sebastian commented pointedly. Ominis could feel the room freeze over. He heard Edith's breath momentarily pause. Leave it to Sebastian to immediately point out the obvious. He wasn’t wrong, and yet Ominis felt the need to meditate ever so slightly.

“Sebastian..” Ominis warned darkly, but Edith cut him off. Her tone was empty and cold. The way she spoke was oddly familiar in a way. A way he would speak back when he was living in the Gaunt Manor. Guarded and distant so nothing could hurt him. It was a tone that gave off the feeling that nothing mattered to her. His purposely hurtful words appeared to not have hurt her, but he knew they did.

“It’s alright, Ominis. He’s not wrong.” Edith spoke so lightly as if it was amusing to her.

“Choose whoever you’d like to seek companionship in, the only thing that matters is finding Anne.” Her words returned with just as much spite and ire as Sebastian’s had. It was clear to him nothing did matter to her, nothing involving them two at least. She had her walls built and guard up.

He listened as her heels turned on the wood and moved towards the door. Ominis wasn’t sure why he began to call her name or what he would even say to her, but she quickly ended that for him by interrupting him.

“If you need anything else, Penny will assist you. I’ll be in my room.” And with a slam of the door, she was gone.

~ ♡ ~

( •̀ヮ•́) I've been so motivated to write these, like I already have the next 2 done, im just editing the fuck out of them.

Also.....HEADCANONS

Idk where the fuck i read an Ominis fic where he had like super human hearing, but I did and it has been my hc ever since soooo there you go.

Next his wand! ಠᗜಠ

my hc is that the wand can project structures and things WAY better than people. Like walls, desks, papers, couches, etc, so he doesn't trip and can move around and read well. His wand deems it more important than "seeing" people. He can get glimpses of people, but they are like super blurry unless his wand is like almost directly in front of someone's face. Colors are muted too, more so on people.

Remember, this is all for fun, so be kind. Im doing my best to keep them in character and keep it interesting. This is an Ominis x Sebastian x Mc story, and Im trying to keep it slow burn, but im rusty at fanfics, so sorry.

ANYWAYS THANKS AND LOVE YALL!!! ♡♡♡♡

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